MHI Blog -- MODEX 2014 was recently named by Trade Show News Network (TSNN) as one of the top fastest-growing shows.

"The Top 50 fastest-growing show winners were chosen by their show’s growth rate between 2012-2014 in attendance and net square footage," said TSNN President and Editor-in-Chief Rachel Wimberly.

MODEX was previously named to the 2014 Trade Show News Network’s (TSNN) U.S. Top 250 Trade Shows list. TSNN’s list represents the top 250 trade shows held last year in the U.S. ranked by net square footage. MODEX 2014 was ranked 102 among the top 250 trade shows.

Harvard Business Review -- Longer commute times are just one sign that congestion is creeping into our lives. Highways and bridges are in desperate need of repair, making travel slower—and more dangerous. Our overburdened air-traffic-control system struggles to deal with increasingly crowded skies. Port congestion is a growing problem, exacerbated by the new super-size container ships that take far longer to unload than older, smaller ships. "Expect delays" has become the recurring theme of our transportation system.

With growing congestion a global megatrend, companies have a choice. Either accept it (and its higher costs and lower profits) or take control of your fate with strategic, game-changing actions that cut time and costs from the supply chain.

EBN -- Consumer drones never fail to attract a huge crowd at big trade events. At the Paris Air Show last month, I noticed that even the uniformed aviation officers were captivated by the toy drones flying in a choreographed dance routine set up by Parrot at the Salon du Bourget.

Modern Materials Handling -- The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported today that manufacturing activity for June showed growth compared to May, albeit at a slow rate.

The PMI, the ISM’s index to measure growth inched up 0.7 percent to 53.5 over May’s 52.8 (a PMI of 50 or greater represents growth). This reading marks sequential growth for the third month in a row, which was preceded by five months of sequential declines, which had been in effect since October 2014. PMI growth has been at 50 or higher for 30 straight months, and the current PMI is 1.2 percent below the 12-month average of 54.7.

Tech Crunch -- Amazon has expanded its one-hour delivery service for Prime members to parts of central London. An update to the Prime Now app notes the services is now "available in selected London postcodes". This is the first foray for Prime Now outside the U.S., some six months after the service first launched — which is a rather more speedy international expansion schedule than Amazon’s usual playbook.

Prime Now’s London coverage area appears to be limited to zone 1 — or parts of zone 1 — at this stage. Postcodes I tried from further afield (zone 2 and zone 3) were not yet supported; but a postcode in London’s Southwark (zone 1) returned an affirmative that Amazon can ship a selection of products there in an hour.

Transport Topics -- The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said congestion at West Coast ports lowered U.S. economic growth by 0.2 percentage points in the first quarter, the Wall Street Journal reported. The decline is equal to the amount gross domestic product shrank in the first three months of the year, the paper reported. The West Coast ports, responsible for 43.5% of U.S. trade, had been operating at reduced capacity from late October to late February as dockworkers slowed cargo during negations for higher pay.

The Wall Street Journal -- These are good times for the logistics industry, but a shortage of everything from truck drivers to rail equipment threatens to derail momentum, a new report says. Here are five findings from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ annual "State of Logistics" report.

Manufacturing Business Technology -- The past was a simpler time for distribution operations. Technology was relatively straightforward. The supply chain wasn’t "always on." There was no such thing as omni-channel distribution.

However, today the supply chain is a lot more sophisticated — by necessity. Technological advancements and improvements have ushered in a new era. These days, software is leveraged to not only manage and improve material handling equipment, processes and systems but also to address ever-changing shifts in customer demand.

MHI’s new Career Forum enables manufacturing and supply chain professionals to view current job postings of MHI member companies. Go to http://www.mhi.org/careers to find the perfect opportunity for you.

21st Century Supply Chain -- The modern day inventory manager described in this series is the backbone of your company’s inventory planning process. She has a strong understanding of supply chain fundamentals and is an expert at controlling the key levers impacting the inventory company’s investment in inventory. All that’s left is to add a planning system that enables her to work effectively. If you leave her to build reports and metrics that she needs in excel then she’ll spend all her time crunching numbers instead of planning your company’s largest asset. So, what features should you look for in a good planning system?

American Shipper -- Logistics costs relative to the overall economy in 2014 remained steady, but buyers of freight transportation and logistics services should prepare to spend more in the next couple of years as truck capacity constricts and interest rates rise, the author of an annual industry benchmark study said Tuesday.

Business expenditures on transportation and warehousing as a percentage of national productivity dipped 0.1 percent to 8.3 percent in 2014, according to the 2014 "State of Logistics" report by transportation economist Rosalyn Wilson for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. Logistics costs have stayed in a narrow band between 8.2 percent and 8.4 percent since 2010, after rising from 7.8 percent in 2009 when the recession torpedoed demand for freight and related services.

Material Handling & Logistics -- Please allow me to introduce you to a word you will soon need to use frequently while rewriting your employee management policies: accommodation.

You may already use it regarding "reasonable accommodation" for disabled employees under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but you may not be aware of many more areas where you must accommodate employees. Following are just a few.

Logistics Viewpoints -- Supply chain execution convergence is a hot topic these days. The need for end-to-end visibility and solutions that proactively enable planning and the ability to react to the unavoidable disruptions is paramount. Organizations need to evaluate their overall supply chain approach and to consider how supply chain execution convergence can get them to the next level.

Modern Materials Handling -- Following heavy investment in 2014, many users of supply chain software have backed off from spending as they settle into their new systems. Nonetheless, the software market continues to steadily grow as concerns fall away.

Material Handling & Logistics -- There is a disconnect between employees’ understanding of the role EHS plays and how it impacts satisfaction at work, as reported by Sandy Smith of EHS Today. In a study released by Antea Group, only half (55%) of employees feel comfortable pointing out potentially unsafe behavior to both their peers and superiors; however a majority (64%) would appreciate if they were told they were doing something potentially unsafe.

Of particular concern, a large percentage (52%) likely would not feel obligated to intervene if they saw an unsafe act and a significant percentage (36% and 38%) would not appreciate or actually would be offended if they were told they were doing something potentially unsafe.

Industry Week -- Onshoring has become a major trend in the United States. U.S.-based companies are increasingly pulling their overseas manufacturing efforts and setting up shop in the States. In fact, since 2010, more than 200 companies, most of which are U.S.-based, have brought back production that had been sent out of the country.

In addition, foreign companies are increasingly bringing their manufacturing jobs to the United States. According to the Organization for International Investment (OFII), foreign investment in U.S. manufacturing totaled $493 billion from 2007 through 2012, as opposed to a total of $270 billion the previous six years.